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"It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Jenna," Dr Lipton said as Richart lowered her to an exam table "Richart talks about you all the time"

"Nice to meet you, too This is my son, John"

"Good to meet you, John"

"Nice to meet you," he o wait out in the hallway so your hovering won’t distract me" She winked at Jenna "Plus, if Richart isn’t in the roo stories about hi, then kissed Jenna "We’ll be right outside if you need us"

Jenna smiled and nodded

As soon as the door closed behind them, Dr Lipton shook her head "That man is so in love with you"

"I love hiaze sharpened as she donned a pair of latex gloves "Enough to transforht I couldn’t do that safely"

"If he’s right and you’ve been infected, you may not have a choice Howher disapproval

"That’s just it He hasn’t"

Her brow furrowed "Ever?"

"Ever A va my job and Richart stopped hiht since and made sure the vampire didn’t return I can’t be transforht?"

"Not unless he drained you almost to the point of death, then infused you with his own blood"

"Richart said he didn’t do that; so it must be the flu"

Dr Lipton didn’t seem convinced "Let’s start with your symptoms"

Jenna rattled them off and answered questions about severity, onset, and the like as Dr Lipton took her te and prodding

She was pretty in a girl-next-door kind of ith brown hair, brown eyes, and a trioing to level with you, Jenna," she said finally "I think Richart’s right I’ll run a blood test to be sure, but I already knohat it’s going to tell h her "I’ressive brain daenuine re this I can’t even give you hope that you ifted ones have black hair and brown eyes A few, like me, have brown hair But never red"

"I’m a brunette I dye my hair"

Dr Lipton studied her "Have you noticed any special gifts or abilities? Know the phone is going to ring before it does?"

"No"

"Knohat sohts?"

"No I don’t have any special abilities, Dr Lipton"

"Melanie"

"I’hed "Yes As I said, I’ll run soressed Take a look at your DNA and see if it bears the extra ifted one and protect you froe But I’m not very hopeful"

"I can’t believe this" Her es unfolded before her John having to watch histo leave to ensure she wouldn’t har for her to reach the point of no return, then taking her life

What would it do to him to watch her turn into one of the monsters he hunted? Would she have to leave him, too?

Richart paced back and forth in front of the door to the infir up and down the hallway, taking in the uards armed with automatic weapons Half a dozen stood sentinel near two doors a little farther down

Dragging his eyes away, John turned to Richart "What’s in there? What are they protecting?"

"They aren’t protecting what’s in there They’re protecting everyone out here Those doors lead to vampires’ apartments"

John’s eyes widened "Vampires live here?"

"A couple do, yes They surrendered instead of following the exa to the death They’ve been working with Dr Lipton and the other doctors in hopes of finding a cure for the virus or soe it causes in hu?"

Richart shook his head and lied "I don’t know" They had been searching for a cure for thousands of years with no success

John sed "If Moo crazy and want to hurt people?"

Richart nodded, throat too thick to speak